The Abaqus user community knows that computational fluid dynamics module was deprecated in 2017 release of Abaqus CAE. It means that within Abaqus CAE or through standalone Abaqus, it is not possible to perform CFD simulations beyond 2016 release. This has been a subject of criticism among few users. However, its worth mentioning that CFD is still available in Abaqus through 3D Experience platform fluid mechanics analyst (FLA) role. Dassault Systemes has decided to migrate the functionality from standalone products to the platform but it is still in existence. The FLA role is available both on premise as well as on cloud. So what are the value adds of performing CFD through 3DExperience platform!!

No need to create fluid domain 😊

This is a BIG BONANZA because every analyst knows how tough it is to create fluid domain for complex 3D Models. The 3DExperience platform offers a technique called hybrid meshing that has two main advantages. Firstly, it does not require a fluid CAD. The user needs to provide minimum information in terms of geometric features such as faces, planes, face normal etc. so that application can well predict fluid location and boundaries in given part of assembly geometry. Once it is will predicted, it gets well meshed also. Take a simple example: flow between two intersecting pipes. User just need to provide surface normal to two pipes in correct direction as well as three planes for inlet and outlet. With this information FLA user interface can create a bounded region internally on its own. The fluid domain tool helps in selecting respective geometries for parts, regions, openings and boundaries. Just this much information is good enough to proceed with the meshing operation.

Good quality hexahedral meshes with perfect boundary layer control 😉

FLA offers hex dominant meshing technique that operates on fluid domain created above. It has two outstanding offerings. First it gives maximum number of hexahedral elements. Yes, hexahedral elements and that too without any partitioning. Second, it is possible to define (and achieve) boundary layer as per user specified criteria. User can define number of layers as well as thickness of layers. Even in transition regions such as location where pipes intersect and geometry abruptly changes, the boundary layer specification is well respected.

Lastly, FLA role is the center of attraction of SIMULIA R&D for further enhancements. Dassault Systemes recently acquired two CFD companies named XFlow and Exa. The CFD solver offerings from these two companies work on Lattice Boltzmann principles while the traditional Abaqus CFD solver in 3DExperience work on Navier-Stokes principles. The Lattice Boltzmann based solver is suitable for external and unbounded, high speed transient and compressible flows that has many applications in aerodynamic computations in T&M and A&D industry verticals. These solvers will be integrated in future releases of FLA role or will be available as a new role in 3DExperience platform.

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If you have been using Autodesk Inventor for a while you may already know this, but there is a process for migrating Inventor’s “Content Center” libraries. This should be done to ensure you don’t end up with duplicate parts (file names) for the same fastener, pin or other common part. When libraries are migrated, it allows the new software version and its updated libraries to recognize that a particular existing component is being placed. The existing model will be utilized in this case. If the libraries are not migrated, a whole new set of model files will get created when you start placing component from Content Center in a new version of Inventor.

Here is the general procedure:

Determine where your current style library is located. It may be in the default location for individual users, or may be in a common location.

Launch the “Autodesk Inventor Style Library Manager”. This is a separate program in Windows that isn’t started from within Inventor.

In the “Style Library 1” area browse to your old style library that you located in step 1. It should say that “some style collections need migration”.

Select the Migrate button at the bottom

I also recommend backing up an previous style libraries before migrating them. There have been various accounts of libraries failing to migrate and becoming corrupted. Making a backup and testing the migration is imperative if you have extensive modifications in your existing style library.

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Users of Dassault Systemes must have seen the following image multiple times in last few years. In this article, I am talking about what this image means from simulation perspective.

The image above is the brand logo of Dassault Systemes next generation innovation called 3D Experience platform. This image is called 3D Compass and its four quadrants symbolizes four major offerings available in an integrated fashion with the platform. The north quadrant symbolizes collaboration, the east quadrant symbolizes 6W Tags, the west quadrant symbolizes designer applications and the south quadrant symbolizes our favorite simulation applications. The idea behind its introduction is very clear from simulation environment.

“BREAK THE SILOS”

The word silos may seem unpleasant to hear at times but that’s exactly how FEA or MBD simulation community has been since many years. These are small departments of very specialized people in large organizations that mostly work in isolation. The reason of working in isolation has been simple and justified till now. The complexity of products these specialists use has been an overwhelming task for other departments such as design, production, marketing, procurement, IT etc. that are a part of overall product lifecycle management. Moreover simulation forms a process of product lifecycle only when a new concept design is launched that has to be virtually tested either to save cost, reduce time or meet certain requirements imposed by regulatory boards such as NHTSA, FAA, FDA etc. This is not always the case.

The 3D Experience platform integrates and brings together all the departments involved in product lifecycle including simulation experts. The integration happens at base level by a data management and collaboration server called ENOVIA that allows users with different roles to create, modify, share, manage or propagate data from one person to other without using share drives, emails or any sort of data migration. In terms of T&M and A&D companies these roles might be product designers, design engineers, manufacturing engineers, FEA specialists, material experts, method developers etc. The platform offers roles for users. Each role is a collection of apps just like we see in our mobile phones. However, in case of 3D Experience platform, these roles are divided in four different categories based on four corners of the 3D Compass. These are 3D Modeling apps, Social and Collaborative apps, information intelligence apps and simulation apps. Few of these apps serve as pre-requisites to any user who wish to be a part of platform. But others such as simulation apps are assigned only to those users who wish to perform simulation.

With the 3D Experience platform, a simulation expert works on the same data that is created by a designer to perform simulation without any manual data transfer. No more specialized product formats such as Abaqus CAE, Tosca, fe-safe that have their own file architecture not compatible with designer products such as CATIA, Creo, Solidworks etc. Once the simulation is complete, results are stored in the same database that can be instantly viewed by engineering managers, product designers, R&D head or any user who is not actively using simulation. So no more specialized output file formats such as odb, conf, ldf, stlx etc. A simulation role armored with simulation apps allows a specialist to get into the platform, access the data created by designer, create simulation model in same environment, perform the analysis on user machine or on cluster and publish and share the results. Simple it is! Once the silos are broken, there is yet another aspect of 3D Experience platform that makes it unique in the way it works.

“ELIMINATE FILE BASED FOLDERS FROM THE SYSTEM”

Everything created or imported in the platform is saved within the ENOVIA collaboration server. The data can reside either on-premise or on-cloud based on chosen architecture. The user can search or access the data using advanced 6W Tags search criteria based on questions such as who, what, when, where, which etc. In case of cloud based architecture, this data can be assessed and modified from anywhere using devices such as smart phones or ipads. Can your smart phone read Abaqus odb files! The answer is perhaps no but yet it is possible to access Abaqus output data on smart phones using 3D experience platform.

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Typically when new software releases come out, there are always a few really key improvements that really stand out. Many times, it is a cool new modeling feature, or maybe an entirely new approach to design. In Inventor, this might be like the addition of Freeform Modeling or Direct Editing as examples. Unfortunately these are features or techniques that might not be applicable to many users.

If you are using both Autodesk Inventor and Vault together however, you should probably pay attention to this one: The Vault status icons in the “recently used” area. These icons now clearly identify the current Vault status of one of your recent files when in the Inventor “Open” dialog box. Is the file checked out? Is the file checked in, and up to date in my workspace? Has someone else modified the file since I last worked on it? Have I checked in my latest development ideas or new parts yet? All of these can be determined simply by noticing the Vault status bubbles in the “Open” dialog box.

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This is a further followup to my previous articles on digital twins, focusing on the Feedback Loop pillar

Smart Factory loop
The feedback loop starts with the Smart Factory. This is a fully digitalized factory model of a production system connected via sensors, SCADA systems, PLCs or other automation devices to the main product lifecycle management (PLM) data repository. In the Smart Factory, all events on the physical shop floor during production are recorded and directly pushed back to the PLM system or through the cloud. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is used to study and analyze this information, and the main findings are sent back to either product development
in manufacturing planning or facility planning.
Why is this important? Production facilities and the manufacturing processes tends to change immediately after start of production. New ideas will be implemented, new working methods will be deployed and new suppliers might be selected; all requiring changes to the production system or process. Since these modifications will certainly impact the future, updating them in the system at this stage is becoming a must. Production systems outlive the product lifecycle, and many companies use their production systems to make multiple products. These factors contribute to the increasing need to regularly capture these changes in the PLM system, which can later be used to distribute this information to all parties. The information collected during production can also serve as the basis for improving the maintainability of manufacturing resources. With this information, we can enable much better (sensor) condition-based maintenance, and thus increase uptime and productivity.

Smart product loop
Almost every product made today is a smart product. Many companies are looking for ways to improve the connection with their smart products while they are being used by their customers. Monitoring product use can provide a lot of knowledge for improving products. More than that, connecting to these smart products can generate a new type of business model that may result in more competitive offerings.

PLM Challenge

These feedback loops and the data it generate is a challenge for PLM too. In the short term, the PLM issue for digital twins is how IoT-gathered data can best be put to work—extrapolated, parsed, and redirected? To where? At whose direction? The quick and easy solutions are analytics running on the cloud, machine-to-machine (M2M), and analyses based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Such questions are expected as digital twins emerge as the next revolution in both data management and lifecycle management.
Ultimately, the use of PLM will allow us to bring digital twins into close correspondence—in sync—with their physical equivalents in the real world. When this comes to pass, we can expect problems to be uncovered more quickly, products to be supported. Products with digital twins will be more reliable with less downtime while operating more efficiently and at lower cost. PLM-powered digital twins will boost user and owner confidence in their physical products. Ultimately, digital twins reflect what users and owners expect to receive when they sign a contract or purchase order.

Using these elements results in a comprehensive computerized model of the product, enabling almost 100 percent of virtual validation and testing of the product under design. All of this eliminates the need for prototypes, reduces the amount of time needed for development, improves the quality of the final manufactured product and enables faster iterations in response to customer feedback.

Manufacturing process planning

The Siemens solutions available today enable the development of three models critical to any manufacturer:

Manufacturing process model – the how – resulting in an accurate description of how this product will be produced

Production facility model – the where – providing a full digital representation of the production and assembly lines needed to make the product

Production facility automation model – Describing how the automation system, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, programmable logic controller (PLC) hardware and software, human-machine interface (HMI) hardware and software, etc., will support the production system

The value of the digital twin in manufacturing offers a unique opportunity to virtually simulate, validate and optimize the entire production system. It also lets you test how the product, with all its primary parts and subassemblies, will be built using manufacturing processes, production lines and automation.

Feedback loops

When it comes to the feedback loops of the Digital Twins pillars , there are two kinds that have a significant impact on most manufacturers

The Smart Factory Loop and

The Smart Product Loop.

“Product Design” and “Manufacturing process planning” pillars were in existence for a while but the “Feedback loops” is a newer one. I will discuss elaborately on it in my next blog .

Any complete FEA solution has at-least three mandatory components: Pre-Processor, solver and post-processor. If you compare it with an automobile, solver is the engine that has all the steps/solution sequences to solve the discretized model. It can be regarded as the main power source of a CAE system. The pre-processor is a graphical user interface that allows user to define all the inputs into the model such as geometry, material, loads and boundary scenarios etc. In our automobile analogy, pre-processor can be regarded as the ignition key without which it is not possible to utilize the engine (solver) efficiently. The post-processor is a visualization tool to make certain conclusion from requested output: either text or binary. A good CAE workflow is regarded as one that offers closed loop CAD to CAD data transfer.

The above workflow is not closed so there is no scope of model update. Any changes in design requires all the rework. This has been the traditional workflow in organizations that have completely disconnected design and analysis departments. Designers send the CAD data to analysts who perform FEA in specialized tools and submit the product virtual performance report back to designers. If a change is mandatory, FEA is performed manually all over again. Let’s look at a better workflow.

In this workflow, if the initial design does not meet the design requirements, it is updated and sent to the solver, not to the pre-processor. It means that all the pre-processing steps are mapped from old design to new design without any manual intervention. This is an effort to bridge the gap between design and analysis departments that has been embraced by the industry so far. The extent to which the GAP can be bridged depends on the chosen workflow but to some extent, almost every CAE company has taken an initiative to introduce products that bridge this GAP. Let’s discuss in context of Dassault Systemes and Siemens.

Dassault Systemes: After acquiring Abaqus Inc in 2005, Dassault Systemes rebranded it as SIMULIA with the objective of giving users access to simulation capabilities without requiring the steep learning curve of disparate, traditional simulation tools. They have been introducing new tools to meet this objective.

The first one in series was Associative interfaces for CATIA, Pro-E and Solidworks which is a plug-in to Abaqus CAE. With this plug-in it is possible to automatically transfer the updated data from above mentioned CAD platforms to Abaqus CAE with a single click. All the CAE parameters in Abaqus CAE are mapped from old design to updated design. It’s a nice way to reduce re-work but design and simulation teams are still separate in this workflow.

Next initiative was SIMULIA V5 in which Abaqus was introduced in CATIA V5 as a separate workbench. This workbench includes additional toolbars to define Abaqus model and generate Abaqus input file from within CATIA. Introduce Knowledge ware, and user has all the nice features to perform DOE’s and parametric studies. This approach brings designers and analysts with CATIA experience under one roof.

Next Dassault Systemes introduced SIMULIA on 3D Experience platform allowing analysts to utilize data management, process management and collaboration tools with Abaqus in the form of simulation apps and roles. The solution is now in a mature stage with incorporation of process optimization, light weight optimization, durability and advanced CFD tools. By merging SIMULIA with BIOVIA we are also talking about multi scale simulation from system to molecular level. It is further possible to perform the simulation and store the data on public or private cloud.

Siemens PLM solutions: Siemens traditional CAE tools include FEMAP user interface and NX Nastran solver. Both have been specialized tools primarily meant for analysts with little or no connectivity to CAD. More specialized and domain specific tools were added with the acquisition of LMS and Mentor Graphics.

In 2016 Siemens introduced its new Simulation solutions portfolio called as Simcenter that includes all Siemens simulation capabilities that can be integrated with NX environment. The popular pre-processor in Simcenter series is NX CAE that has bi-directional associativity with NX CAD. Though meant for specialists, NX CAE offers a closed loop workflow between NX CAD and NX Nastran thus making easier to evaluate re-designs and perform DOE’s.

It is further possible to use Simcenter solutions with Siemens well known PLM solution Teamcenter for enterprise wide deployment of Siemens simulation tools.

This shift in approach is not limited to Dassault Systemes and Siemens. Every organization in this space be it Ansys, Autodesk or Altair are introducing such closed form solutions. One reason may be the recent acquisition of many CAE companies by bigger organizations such as Dassault, Siemens and Autodesk. Nevertheless, the change has been triggered and it will continue.

Whether new to Inventor software or a seasoned pro, you’ll learn something from this fast-paced course that will highlight 60 Inventor tips in 60 minutes. We’ll showcase some of the less obvious commands or features and their location within the Inventor environment. Along the way we’ll look at how some of the tips work and how they might help you in your daily designing. So buckle up—we’ve got a lot to cover and only 60 minutes to get it done.

With an i GET IT subscription, login at https://myigetit.com to view the upcoming live technical sessions and recordings, including Tim’s Autodesk 2018 Quick Tips session recording.

About i GET IT Online Training Management for Engineers

i GET IT is an online engineering knowledge development and sharing tool, which specifically addresses the engineering community with an extensive MCAD/PLM training library, powerful customization tools, learning management features and assessment capabilities.

Unlike other generic learning providers, i GET IT is created by dedicated resources from industry PLM leaders at Tata Technologies. This allows us to offer the most comprehensive training solution for the leading engineering design and manufacturing applications plus industry skills, providing a consistent and updated offering for each release. It also allows i GET IT to consult directly with customers, providing customized solutions that fit your exact training needs and beyond.

So how does your company handle the training and skill advancement needs of your engineers? Realize your design potential at https://myigetit.com

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There is an interesting news regarding CATIA to be shared by composites user community. While almost all the composites related functionalities such as composites design by zones/plies, ply drop offs, core sampling, ply producibility, ply flattening, ply cut outs, lay-up export etc. have been existing as native CATIA offerings in composites workbenches, one valuable piece has been missing. That piece is called Laser Projection, a tool that can assist manufacturing guys in placing cut plies at right location on the tool. Earlier this functionality was offered through one of Dassault Systemes software partner called Majestic. However, Majestic got acquired by Autodesk a while ago so Dassault Systemes decided to develop a similar functionality in-house.

Laser Projection functionality was introduced in V5-6R 2016 release of CATIA, both in classic as well as in Express configurations and has been refined in service packs such as V5-6R 2016 SP2 and SP3. In classic configuration license is named as CLA and in express configuration license is named as LPX. Either CATIA composites design or manufacturing workbenches are a pre-requisite in either of these configurations. This technology is most suitable for most hand-layup parts such as panels, hulls, wind blades etc.

Within the application, it is possible to define any number of lasers by coordinates and assign properties to them such as its dimensions and range in terms of distance, horizontal and vertical angles. It is also possible to optimize the resource allocation. The reach envelope can be visualized to make sure largest ply in the model can be displayed with given number of lasers in the model. If not, more lasers can be defined or their positions can be changed.

The Laser Projection module is compatible with most commercial available vendor machines such as Virtek, LAP, LPT etc. The core thickness as well as plies thickness is automatically taken into account during projection. It is also possible to change display properties such as laser color, length of normal vectors etc. It is further possible to include additional geometry or text as a part of the display from predefined CATIA sets.

For any further information regarding licensing or functionality of this module, including a demonstration, please approach us and we are ready to help. It is also possible to import the laser projection files such as .py and .cal extensions to review the laser projections data in CATIA laser projection.

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According to a PLM Foresight Opinion Poll conducted by CIMData, 70% of Senior Executives in manufacturing companies saw little or no value in PLM. This is a troubling statistic as it shows that PLM is not as widely adopted and embraced as it should be. PLM can bring huge efficiency gains to an organization and prevent a lot of errors.

How can you get efficiency from PLM? One approach is to use a Maturity Assessment. These models investigate issues related to best practices of the system been evaluated using defined “pillars” of major functionality. When their maturity of a given “pillar” is evaluated and measured, this provides current and future capability levels and can be used to identify potential improvements and goals for the system been evaluated. When a maturity model is applied to and shared by a number of organizations in a particular industry, it can provide an industry-specific benchmark against which to evaluate an organization’s maturity with respect to others in the same industry.

So why should a company assess the maturity of their PLM?This assessment can guide companies to a PLM roadmap that will enable them to improve the state of their current sytem. The roadmap will allow them to deploy appropriate technologies, processes, and organizational changes that enhance the overall product development process from early concept through product end of life. This in turn leads to improved bottom-line and top-line benefits.

Tata Technologies have developed PLM Analytics as a framework to provide information to customers about the state of PLM within their enterprise, the maturity (ability to adopt and deploy) of PLM, and ultimately to the creation of a detailed PLM roadmap that will support their business strategy and objectives. Each component builds on and complements the other components, but can be conducted independently.

What is PLM Analytics? A high level diagram is shown below:

PLM BenchmarkHelps triage your PLM needs and find out how you stack up against the competition. The resulting report benchmarks performance against 17 industry-standard “pillars” and evaluates the current state and desired future state with an indication of implementation priority. The Benchmark is a consultant-led personal interview with one or more key business leaders. It is toolset agnostic.

PLM Impact Builds a business case and demonstrates how PLM can save you money. Once a PLM Benchmark has been completed, a consultant-led series of interviews with multiple key business leaders can identify multiple savings opportunities. These opportunities are summarized as financial metrics, Payback and ROI. These can be used to provide validation of proposed PLM initiatives and provide decisions makers with key financial data.

PLM Healthcheck Understand how your current PLM works from the people who use it. The healthcheck surveys a cross-section of your product design team via online assessments to establish PLM health related to organization, processes, and technology. The results identify gaps against best practices, consistency of organizational performance, and prioritize areas of improvement. The healthcheck can be used on a global basis.

PLM Roadmap A 360°view of your PLM plus a detailed roadmap for pragmatic implementation. The roadmap is constructed from onsite interviews with senior leaders, middle management and end users across product development. These sessions focus on the specific business processes and technologies to be improved and result in a PLM Roadmap, an actionable improvement plan with defined activities and internal owners to ensure successful implementation

By using this suite of tools, Tata Technologies can put you on the road to PLM success!